The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-10-27
CAMP DOUGLASS.
Vivid Description of Life in a Yankee
Prison by Rebel.

I left our command at Camp
Douglass, Chicago, in my last.
Camp Douglass had been a camp
of instruction for the federal army.
1t was laid off near Lake Michigan
on the south side of the city, near
the Douglass monument, which
was plainly visible from the prison.
The camp was in the form of
squares. these being four in num-
Der. Barracks were built around
all four of these squares; one street
ran from the center of each square
to the square adjoining. These
squares were abOnt the size of the
public square in Pulaski. The
ground was perfectly level and very
sandy. When we arrived at Camp
Douglass we were utterly worn out,
even those of US that were well,
while large number were sick
and many
| DIED FROM THE TERRIBLE EXPOSURE
incident to the trip from the south
to north. The earth was covered
with snow for weeks after we ar
rived and the weather was intense
ly cold. Each company was given
one long room with hunks three
stories in height, each bunk capa
BILE Of holding two men to the sto-
~ or six men to the bunk. We
had one large cannon stove in each
! room or barrack, but we could not
keep fire enough to keep COM
Portable during the severesi weather.
Each company had o kitchen at
tached to the barrack, where the
cooking and eating was done.
Many of the boys will remember
the snow balling which took place
on the evening Of our arrival, be-
tween portion of the 3rd and
some of the 23rd I'll. 1t came near
being serious before it ended, for
pop bottles and Jumps of coal were
substituted for snow. We charged
the ,,yanks and drove them into
their own square and here the
thing was stopped. Great crowds
Of men and women visited the pris-
on from day to day after we had
been arranged. They were per-
fectly DUN founded at the intelli-
gence of the southern soldier. They
thought We were all set OF igno-
ramuses, who had been pressed in
to service and Shey would hardly
believe US when we would tell
them we could read and write. We
met many kind hearted men and
women-some of the Irish citizens
were exceedingly kind-yet we met
many of the most bigoted and self
sufficient men and some of the
most lamentably ignorant and
BLOODY MINDED WOMEN
| ever met. Some of them had lost
friends and. relatives at Donelson,
aud it made them perfectly Zero
cious. Col. James A. Mulligan of
the 23rd Ill. Inf was ia command
of the prison and he had his own
and the Goth Ill. under his com
mand. Col. III. was captured by
Price at Lexington, Missouri, not
long before the fall of Donelson
and he and his command were pa
rolled not to serve until his exchange
yet he was here doing garrison du
ty, plainly against all rules of hon
orabl warfare, and his men were
prisoners on parole and we were
prisoners In captivity. The federal
government was to blame and not
Col. Mulligan. He was a gallant,
chivalrous Irishmsn, a kind, hu-
name man, and the very soul OF
honor. He was relieved in the
spring and ordered to the army OF
the Potomac. In one of the cam
paigns under Gen. Hunter he was
ordered to burn Gov. Letcher's
house. Col. NJ. replied that he was
= soldier and not an eHdiary, and
that he would:no do it, In a bat
tie near Lynchburg few days af
terward he was killed. We all felt
sorry when we heard of his death,
for be was an honorable, manly foe
An incident in point: We had not
been in prison long before the
oath of allegiance was poked at US.
| Col. Mulligan went to the orderly
sargeants in the prisons and notified
them of the day when the oath
would be offered. / was then act
ing orderly for our company and
told him that none of my compa
ny would take the oath. He re
piled that he would have no respect
for a man who would. After Col.
Mulligan left Col. Cameron of the
Goth Illinois was placed in COM
mand and every thing went on as
usual until Col. Cameron was or
dered TO the front and 60 and 80
day militia were placed over US.
The militia is the
towards REsoar
in time of war. de never expects
to be called on to do anything ex-
cept to guard prisoners, do camp
duty, and pilfer and maltreat de-
fenceess men. Coils. Tucker and
Hough were commanding the two
regiments doing guard duty at the
prison. Col. Tucker had been
branded a coward at Shiloh and
! left the army and Col. Hough was
the mostsinhumsn scounurel INA. uv-
er were 9 uniform. Wifz of Ander-
sonville fame was an angel beside
him. In the southeast corner of the
camp was a building called the
white oak which was used for a
lock up. The building was about
l6 feet square and Ii feet high.
The walls built of two inch oak,
crossed, doubled and spiked to
gether. The ceiling was built the
same wsy and hole or trap about
two feet square ia the center at The
top. The prisoners were let doyn
into this he'll with rope lai rr
and after they we're deposited on
he floor, the ladder was withdraw n,
leaving no possible chance cf e5-
cape. The only yentilati 10 vas the
| several cracks made by the shrink
age of the lumber and into Ibis
terrible place oil / Hough and tuck
/ Ell crowded numbers OF coafedeiates
+ tor o0iy trying ~ escape. Du,ing
Col. Muiiga0's rule lie was SIT 1t
but humane. He would rauish